2008 Woodie Awards
Top-seeded UTEP ends Rice's hot streak in C-USA quarterfinals
Justin Hudson
Issue date: 3/14/08 Section: Sports
Going into the Conference USA quarterfinal with No. 24 University of Texas-El Paso, the women's basketball team had done everything right. The Owls (14-18, 6-10 C-USA) were peaking when they needed to, having won four in a row. They had handily defeated East Carolina University 69-55 in the opening round of the tournament, holding their opponent to its lowest output since December. And as the contest against the Miners (27-3, 16-0 C-USA) entered the final stretch of the second half, the Owls had not buckled - unlike in the squads' previous meetings - and looked poised to make a run at a fifth-straight conference final.
But just when they needed it most, the Owls' luck ran out in the second half when UTEP guard Jareica Hughes, the eventual C-USA Tournament MVP, turned in a performance for the ages: Hughes put in 29 of a career-high 33 points in the second half to lead the Miners to a 80-71 victory that brought Rice's season to an end.
Not only did the loss end Owls' run, it also marked the end of an era for the Rice women's basketball team. For the first time since the 1995-'96 season, the Owls finished with a losing record, and they will miss the postseason for the first time in five seasons. Head coach Greg Williams (Hanszen '70) will also lose one of the most distinguished classes in team history. Senior point guard Kadie Riverin and senior center Valeriya Berezhynska were both 1,000 point scorers, and along with senior forward Tiffany Loggins, they made trips to the NCAA tournament in 2005 and back-to-back trips to the WNIT in 2006 and 2007. Krystal Frazier (Will Rice '07) and Lauren Neaves (Lovett '07), members of last year's senior class, were also members of the 1,000-point club.
"Along with the class right before them, [the seniors] represent the golden era of Rice women's basketball," Williams said. "We've lost four 1,000-point scorers in the past two years. Any program in America is going to take a hit when that happens."
Fortunately for the Owls, Riverin and Berezhynska were on board for the C-USA Tournament, which began with a very familiar opponent. Five days earlier, Rice had defeated the Pirates (13-17, 7-9 C-USA) 69-62 on the strength of Berezhynksa's 23 point, 19 rebound and five steal performance. Unlike the first game, which saw the Owls overcome a ten-point second-half deficit, Rice led the second game wire-to-wire. The team made seven of its first nine shots from the field to open up a 19-4 lead. The Pirates climbed back into the game, however, cutting the lead to five before a Riverin basket gave Rice a 33-26 halftime advantage.
But just when they needed it most, the Owls' luck ran out in the second half when UTEP guard Jareica Hughes, the eventual C-USA Tournament MVP, turned in a performance for the ages: Hughes put in 29 of a career-high 33 points in the second half to lead the Miners to a 80-71 victory that brought Rice's season to an end.
Not only did the loss end Owls' run, it also marked the end of an era for the Rice women's basketball team. For the first time since the 1995-'96 season, the Owls finished with a losing record, and they will miss the postseason for the first time in five seasons. Head coach Greg Williams (Hanszen '70) will also lose one of the most distinguished classes in team history. Senior point guard Kadie Riverin and senior center Valeriya Berezhynska were both 1,000 point scorers, and along with senior forward Tiffany Loggins, they made trips to the NCAA tournament in 2005 and back-to-back trips to the WNIT in 2006 and 2007. Krystal Frazier (Will Rice '07) and Lauren Neaves (Lovett '07), members of last year's senior class, were also members of the 1,000-point club.
"Along with the class right before them, [the seniors] represent the golden era of Rice women's basketball," Williams said. "We've lost four 1,000-point scorers in the past two years. Any program in America is going to take a hit when that happens."
Fortunately for the Owls, Riverin and Berezhynska were on board for the C-USA Tournament, which began with a very familiar opponent. Five days earlier, Rice had defeated the Pirates (13-17, 7-9 C-USA) 69-62 on the strength of Berezhynksa's 23 point, 19 rebound and five steal performance. Unlike the first game, which saw the Owls overcome a ten-point second-half deficit, Rice led the second game wire-to-wire. The team made seven of its first nine shots from the field to open up a 19-4 lead. The Pirates climbed back into the game, however, cutting the lead to five before a Riverin basket gave Rice a 33-26 halftime advantage.
Comments from unregistered users are subject to editor approval. Log in or register now to post a comment immediately.
Be the first to comment on this story